generational tux — Beauty & Beard PhotographyBlog

Brandon and Melissa, as we quickly found out, have big hearts and love their people deeply. We met them back in September of 22 and then we got to do their super fun engagement photos at the Columbia county fair! We learned a lot about them and their trips to New Orleans, LA which eventually brought us to their beautiful wedding day at Pine Knoll Farms!

The day started off with details and saying hey to everyone as well as all of the venue coverage for both photo and video and then that led us up to Melissa getting into her dress and then us setting up the first looks with both her Dad and then the Groom who both had big smiles on their faces once they saw her. We also setup a quick first look with the Bride’s siblings near the chapel before doing family photos which shortly after that, it was time for the ceremony. The ceremony had so many adorable moments like the flower Grandmother, a bunch of family crying as well as the tears of joy from Brandon as soon as he saw his soon to be Wife. They also tied the rope of three chords, shared personal vows and once everything was all said and done, kissed and made their way to ring the bell as Husband and Wife. This led straight into some couples portraits as the sun was going down and then we made our way to the reception so they could get the party started.

As the reception was kicked off with their entrance, everyone cheered and they started off with their first dance, the father and daughter then mother and son dances which has become some of our favorite moments here lately as we’ve become parents (it hits differently now). Everyone got to enjoy some delicious dinner and then Brandon and Melissa cut their wedding cake. Throughout the rest of the reception, they made their way around to all of the tables to make sure they got to see everyone, danced a ton, tossed the bouquet and garter, took a bunch of fun 360 photo booth videos, did some night time wedding party photos and a few other family portraits and then ended off the night with the sparkler exit into Brandon’s Jeep which was followed by more dancing since it was a fake exit and they came back.

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Venue: Pine Knoll Farms

Christian Covenant Catering (Pj Newkirk)- Dinner

Hair Essentials Myranda- Makeup

Hair- Tonesha Haymon

Wedding Coordinator- Mary Dant

Drop the Mic- DJ

Black Lotus Catering - Rehearsal Dinner

We cannot say enough about how sweet this couple is and how much a fun last wedding for 2022 this was. We left the wedding wanting to be best friends with Jeffrey and Sarah and blessed by the fact that Sarah prayed over us before we left by the fire which is probably the best way to end a year of weddings possible. Besides the couple themselves, the wedding day itself even was beautiful and flowed perfectly with the infamous Pine Knoll Farms as the backdrop which is always great and full of amazing photo opportunities.

The day itself started with saying hey and introducing Bella to Sarah since she was standing in for Morgan and they matched vibes so perfectly and then we quickly made our way downstairs with the details to photograph those and all of the venue photo and video that we needed. At the same time, our third shooter Tom was also with the guys while they were getting ready. As everyone finished getting ready, we were doing group photos with the guys and then I left to setup the first look with Sarah’s Dad. It was such a sweet moment and we could tell that he has a super kind heart as well which passed down into the family but, it seemed like he was even surprised when he lost it a little and cried when he turned so it made for such an authentic and beautiful moment. From here, we made our way to setup everything at the ceremony and mic Jeffrey up.

Once everyone lined up at the ceremony, they all made their way down the aisle and Jeffrey was super nervous but holding it together super well and you could see it all change right when he saw his Bride for the first time. It was a perfect moment of seeing their love for each other breaking through any nerves and how comforting they are for each other. During the ceremony, they exchanged vows and rings as well as lighting a unity candle even though it was a bit windy and then it ended with their kiss to finish the deal. They walked up the aisle as Husband and Wife and rang the bell at the back of the chapel before walking around to the side of the chapel to while we got everyone together for the family photos. Once we did all of the family photos and full wedding party photos, we then walked around with the newly weds a bit and had some fun making jokes as well as getting absolutely gorgeous photos and video before making our way to the reception area as well where we sent for a golf cart and change of shoes for them so they could go straight into the reception ready to go.

At the reception, everyone entered in with pretty funny dances or moves including Jeffrey and Sarah who came running in together and then we started a photo dash (not pictured because I really couldn’t pick one or two so, look for those when we send the full set of photos to the newlyweds). Just in case you’re not aware of what that is, it’s where the DJ gets a song ready and the couple dashes to take a photo with everyone at each table quickly and the goal is for everyone to be ready at the table with a pose or at least a spot for the couple to hop into and it’s somewhat of an interactive game but, also just a great way to be sure you get photos with everyone else quickly before everyone is moving a ton. After the dash, everyone ate and then we did toasts which I believe we ended up with 4 toasts total and some made us cry, some made us laugh from goofy childhood stories and some were sweet and pulled at the heart strings with childhood stories from a Dad’s perspective as well and we loved them all. After the toasts, we then went to cut the cakes (one was nothing bundt cakes and the other was made by the Bride for the Groom). They also read off some different vows to each other which I absolutely cannot wait to see how that works out for the highlight film because the vows were so good in so many ways and then that transitioned later into the dances and opening of the dance floor. The night featured so many good songs with a wide variety of range but pictured in the first few photos, you can see the YMCA and Chicken Dance as some great warm ups. Before long, we were entering party mode and took a small break for the bouquet and garter tosses before hopping right back into party mode where everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time for everyone to get ready for the bubble exit and for Jeffrey and Sarah to do their last dance where everyone could see from outside but they had the whole room to themselves (besides us technically). They then did their bubble exit with everyone and it was actually a fake exit so, they made their way back into the reception for a little bit more dancing and food. As I mentioned before, the night actually ended with us being prayed over by Sarah and talking about how happy she was and it really is just one of the best types of moments ever and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our year. Here’s to the Blakely’s and their amazing future as well as an absolutely great 2023 ahead of all of us!